A mobile machine, such as an earthmoving machine, an excavation-type machine, a mining machine, or the like, may be employed for an earthmoving, excavation, mining, or other operation. The mobile machine may employ large earthmoving, excavating, drilling, or mining equipment, which is configured to dig and/or load earthen material from a worksite, to one or more large off-road haulage units, such as off-highway trucks that may be driven by a driver or autonomously or semi-autonomously controlled.
In many cases, the mobile machine is driven and/or otherwise operated by a person who sits in a cabin or cab that is connected to the machine. Often, the frame of the cab includes an integrated rollover protective structure (ROPS). As its name describes, the purpose of the ROPS is to provide a structure that protects the driver or operator of the mobile machine in the event that the machine rolls over. Specifically, the ROPS prevents the cab frame and the cab from being crushed in a rollover, which in turn prevents the person in the cab of the mobile machine from being injured.
Often times, the cab frame is constructed from numerous hollow metal tubes. Each individual tube is generally straight and has a constant circular cross section. Tubes of different lengths, having different interior and/or different exterior diameters, are used. In many cases, the cab frame is made up of dozens of these separate, differently-sized tubes. The tubes are welded together in different orientations relative to one another, to produce the desired shape of the cab frame, as well as to provide the cab frame with portions meeting different dimensional and strength requirements. It is a time-consuming, labor-intensive, and expensive process to weld all of the tubes to produce the cab frame. Further, in order for the cab frame to be strong enough to provide protection to the person in the cab during a rollover, gussets are used to strengthen the weld joints that are formed between (i) generally vertically-extending tubes that are used to define the front, back, and sides of the cab, and (ii) generally horizontally-extending tubes that are used to define the roof of the cab. Welding the gussets to the metal tubes is also time-consuming, labor-intensive, and expensive. Still further, the gussets block access to the corners of the cab frame, where it would otherwise be convenient to run electrical harnesses and ducting.